Battle of Sainte-Mere-Eglise

The Battle of Sainte-Mere-Eglise (5-6 June 1944) was fought between US Army airborne forces and a small force of German troops defending the village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise in Normandy, France. The American soldiers dropped into the town just before midnight on 5 June 1944, and the pathfinders set up radio posts so that they could signal the paratroopers to drop at certain locations. The Americans then engaged in heavy fighting to take the town from the Germans, clearing the buildings one-by-one. The Americans woke up the next morning to find themselves facing a German counterattack, and they were forced to use German weapons against the German troops. The Americans took out several German tanks and mortar teams, and they were able to successfully hold onto the town until American reinforcements arrived to hold it.